leg cramps

[josephga]

I'm getting horrible leg cramps at night. Do any of you have this problem? I get them in my left leg only in the calf area. Its no fun jumping out of the bed at 3 am to walk out a cramp almost every night. im thinking of getting some potassium to take every night. I'm not sure if i lack potassium or if its a symptom of the ms

[+ Lucky]

IcyHot works well for me when that happens.

[Guest Wetnwildbear]

Try Regular or Diet . . .

 

Tonic Water.

 

The quinnine in Tonic water helps to stop muscle cramps and spasms. My family doctor

suggested it a few years ago for a similar situation.

 

Try it with or without the gin or vodka.

 

 

 

 

I'm getting horrible leg cramps at night. Do any of you have this problem? I get them in my left leg only in the calf area. Its no fun jumping out of the bed at 3 am to walk out a cramp almost every night. im thinking of getting some potassium to take every night. I'm not sure if i lack potassium or if its a symptom of the ms

[Lookin]

Did you change your diet recently? I got them a few years ago when dieting, and found that licking a pinch of salt gave relief almost instantly. I guess it could be ms, but it's worth looking at the easy stuff first. Good luck!

[KMEM]

When i have low potassium I really feel bad all over. It is quick to get a simple blood test with the results in a matter of hours if you can go directly to the lab in your city.

 

Otherwise, the silliest sounding cure that works for some people is to put a bar of soap under the sheet near the foot of the bed.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

[josephga]

my mother suggested eating a banana. she says that helped with hers. i need to change my eating habits, I drink a 2 liter bottle of dr pepper a day and i know thats not good. i eat allot of fast food too

[+ ArVaGuy]

Here's what the Mayo Clinic has regarding night leg cramps.

 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/night-leg-cramps/MY00410

 

Consider cutting back your comsumption of Dr Pepper and increase your water intake.

[+ Charlie]

A blood test can determine if your magnesium/potassium levels are low, but even without knowing, taking a daily supplement probably can't hurt. There is actually more potassium in a small box of raisins than in a banana. Some people believe in quinine pills. The most likely culprit, however, is insufficient hydration--drink a couple of glasses of water instead of Dr. pepper in the evening.

[+ Gar1eth]

A blood test can determine if your magnesium/potassium levels are low, but even without knowing, taking a daily supplement probably can't hurt. There is actually more potassium in a small box of raisins than in a banana. Some people believe in quinine pills. The most likely culprit, however, is insufficient hydration--drink a couple of glasses of water instead of Dr. pepper in the evening.

 

I used to get leg cramps occasionally when I was younger--not so much anymore. Someone told me to try flexing the foot of the leg that is cramping back towards your body while the cramp is going on. I have found over the years that this helps lessen the duration of the cramp--in many cases stopping it almost immediately.

 

Gman

[josephga]

i normally flex my foot instead of trying to walk it out.

[Racketjock]

The suggestions by the other posters are the most common remedies for leg cramps: quinine, eating something high in potassium, and hydration. If this is a sudden onset as a symptom, I can't recommend enough that you have blood work done to measure your baseline levels. Particularly, if after reducing your soda intake and following these three preventatives do not resolve your symptoms within a 2 to 3 days.

[+ Cash4Trash]

Charlie's right - insufficient hydration is often the cause. Drink water.

[JT Brooklyn]

Leg Cramps not Fun!

 

Joseph..My condolences as I to get a cramp once in awhile in the Calf Area. The last one felt like my Calf was going to literally explode and took 4 days for the residual soreness to go away.

 

I have "Googled" Leg Cramps and found an awful lot of reasons for them and apparently alot of us get them for very different reasons from Age to Diet! It's alot more common than I thought!

 

Hopefully you will find something that works for you. Basically now I just Stretch the Calfs at least 5 Times a day and Pray!

[edjames]

First and foremost before you attempt to self-correct the situation...go to your doctor and get an examination! Discuss your symptoms and ask him/her to run some tests, including a full blood workup. You may need xrays or an MRI. Do not assume that your situation can be easily corrected by diet. While all well and good, your symptoms could indicate a far more serious situation going on in your body, therefore your best option is to seek medical advice and treatment. If you do not have a regular physician (internist) then start asking friends or relatives if they are seeing someone they can recommend. If you have medical insurance they can provide a list of participating doctors in your area. It's always better to have these situations checked and and correct any problems early on before they get more serious.

 

Good luck.

 

ED

[zeferrelli]

Try some potassium - it can't hurt!

[josephga]

Try some potassium - it can't hurt!

 

yeah im going to try more water and the potassium first

[KMEM]

Au contraire on the potassium. Too much potassium in a very healthy body can have uncomfortable side effects, such as excessive thirst, etc. Also, more than the MDR of potassium is contra-indicated with certain anti-hypertensive drugs. Some require supplemental potassium.

 

edjames gave the best advice. Seek medical advice before any drastic changes in life style or diet.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

[josephga]

thing is trying some of the suggestions on here are my only options. I was in a car wreck 2 years ago, the woman had no insurance i only had liability since i was driving a older car. my mouth hit the steering wheel and I required 7.000 in dental work, then I found out last year I had ms through a MRI. At the moment I'm 17.000 in credit card debt due to medical needs. Unless I'm dying I can't afford a doctor

[jackcali]

First off, relax. Use some common sense before you run off to the doctor. Insufficient hydration and low potassium levels are common causes of leg cramps. Don't turn your whole life over. Drink less soda (cut your two liters of Dr. Pepper a day to two cans or so) and substitute water. Add some bananas, citrus fruits, melon, broccoli, avocados, tomatoes and the like to your diet (yes, guacamole with chips counts). There's no way you can overconsume potassium in that way. Wait a week and see if you still have the cramps. Also, nobody asked if they're exercise-related? Are they more common on the days you work out or the days you run, if you do either of those things?

 

If the water and the potassium don't work, and if it's not exercise-related, THEN go see a doctor. If the cramps are your only symptom and you go now, he'll just tell you to do that and come back.

[KMEM]

Relax is also good advice. Just don't alter any thing too drastically without good medical advice. I completely understand the lack of money aspect of your dilemma. Certainly eliminating undesirable aspects of your diet such as 2 litres of Dr. Pepper per day cannot hurt. A modest increase in potassium rich foods should not hurt either. Increasing hydration surely never hurt anyone, pissing more often is seldom a sign of any thing serious, except possibly diabetes and you should have other symptoms for that.

 

Chill out, reduce the bad things in your diet and try to have less mental strain. Not always easy to do but worth trying. I only wish you the best.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

[+ Gar1eth]

Try some potassium - it can't hurt!

 

Actually it can if you have renal disease.

 

Gman

[+ Gar1eth]

Au contraire on the potassium. Too much potassium in a very healthy body can have uncomfortable side effects, such as excessive thirst, etc. Also, more than the MDR of potassium is contra-indicated with certain anti-hypertensive drugs. Some require supplemental potassium.

 

edjames gave the best advice. Seek medical advice before any drastic changes in life style or diet.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

 

Actually--while Ed didn't give bad advice--I think he was a little too pessimistic. A lot of people have leg cramps--and the majority of people have no serious underlying problem. However--Joseph has just revealed he has MS--in that case--the cramps may have something to do with his MS--and he really needs to talk with a neurologist who specializes in MS.

 

Gman

[+ honcho]

I get them when my feet get cold. I have to wear socks to bed, and sometimes put

and extra blanket down.

 

I do at least a 2 liter bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper a day.

 

Since keeping my feet warm enough, haven't been bothered.

[Guest greatness]

Hi

 

If you have leg cramps at night then how about getting adjusted by a chiropractor. I know a good one out of the states. He looks at my spine alignment and fixed it. I had to see him for about a week but after that my leg cramps went away. A lot of leg cramps are caused by problems in the back or spine misalignment. Have you seen a chiropractor? I have seen bad ones that didn't really do a good job and made me wonder whether they really know what they are doing. I guess standing all the time giving massages can be a lot of stress on your back and shoulders. You need a massage too. So people be nice to your therapist!

 

I'm getting horrible leg cramps at night. Do any of you have this problem? I get them in my left leg only in the calf area. Its no fun jumping out of the bed at 3 am to walk out a cramp almost every night. im thinking of getting some potassium to take every night. I'm not sure if i lack potassium or if its a symptom of the ms

[TRAVLINLOT]

Medications ?

 

I found while my doc had me on Lipitor, it was leg cramp nightmare every night - no matter what did. As soon as I was changed to another med no more cramps whatsoever.